Box-covering machine.



HARRY B. SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO STOKES & SMITH COMPANY, OF SUMMERDALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA;

-BOX-COVERING MACHINE.

Application filed November 12, 1913, Serial No. 800,613.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Box-Covering Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for applying adhesively coated cover sheets to boxes, box tops and the like, and particularly to the edge tuck in devices of said machines for folding the projecting ends of the cover sheet over the edges of the articleto be covered, and is. designed to be an im provement on and an attachment for the type of box covering machines illustrated and described in Letters Patent granted to Philip S. Smith, No. 691,329, dated January 14, 1902 and No. 778,805, dated December 27, 1904. v

In the aforesaid patents, covered, either a box or box top, with its bottom or top side upon the center of an adhesively coated cover blank formed with projecting side and end flaps and the two are then advanced to. suitable mechanisms that fold said flaps against the sides and ends of said article and firmly ailix them thereto by pressure, the flaps being sufficiently long to project slightly .above the edges of said box or box top. Edge tuck in fingers then advance to turn the projectthe article to be ing fiap ends over said edges at right angles the box that to the box sides and into position to be folded down within the box by a descending plunger that turns said fiap ends against the inner faces of the sides and by pressure causes them to adhere thereto.

One object of the present invention is to so organize the edge tuck in fingers that in addition to turning the cover flap ends over the box edges that lie in the plane or substantially in the plane of movement of-said fingers, they will also fold projecting portions of said cover over adjacent edges of lie at angles thereto, as on boxes or covers with three sides only, or boxes with two opposite sides projecting above the other sides and known in the art as cradle boxes.

A further object of the invention is to cause said tuck in fingers besides folding the cover flaps over the angularly disposed edges, to press said flaps around said edges Specification of Letters Patent.

is placed Patented June 13, 1916. Renewed February 4, 1916; Serial No. 76,230.

and against the inner sides'of the box or box top to cause them to adhere thereto and be disposed of and out of the way of the flap ends that are folded by the descending plunger in the manner described in said atents. r lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a cover blank for use on a shallow rectangular box or box top having three sides only. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cover blank and a box or box top above the same in position to be applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the box or box top with the cover blank partly folded thereover and edge tuck-in fingers in position to. advance over the box and turn the projecting ends of the cover over all the box edges. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the box or box'top completely covered. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a cover blank for use on a cradle box. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a cradle box with a cover blank partly applied thereto with the edge tuck-in fingers in position to operatethereon. Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of the cradle box and cover showing the edge tuck-in fingers in a more advanced position. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a cradle box completely covered.

In the drawings, Figs. 2 to 4:, A indicates a rectangular box or box top, instance having three sides only, as a, a a The fourth side a of the box is left open with the result that two vertical'edges" a will terminate the rear ends of the box sides a, a ,'and it is to fold the cover blank over these and similarly disposed edges on other types of boxes that the present invention is directed. B is a box cover blank upon" the central portion of which the box A is placed after coating the blank' with an adhesive,

in the present will be folded over the front side a When the cover B ismade of material having little strength it Is advisable to cement thereto before placing the tact therewith, said box and the blank with the flaps extending outwardly from its four sides, are transferred to suitable mechanism for folding the flaps 6, b 6 against corresponding sides a, a and a of the box A, and pressed closely thereagainst. I The means employed for turning the flaps against the sides of the box form no part of the present" invention and, therefore are not illustrated, but are fully shown'and described. in the aforesaid patents granted to Philip S. Smith, to which reference may be had for a full description of the opera .tion of these devices.

After they flaps b, 5 b have been folded into the 'position illustrated in Fig. 3, their extreme edges extend above the edges of the sides a, a a of the box, as in said figure, with the rear ends 72 of the fiaps b and b projecting beyond the vertical rear edgesa of the sides a, a of the box. In this condition the box and the partly applied cover are presented to edge tuck in fingers 1O, 11, and 12, for the purpose of turning the projectingv portions of the flaps over all the edges of the box sides. These fingers are similar to corresponding fingers in the aforesaid Patent No. 778,805, and operate in substantially the same way to turn the flaps over the edge of the box sides. In the present invention, however, the tuck in fingers 10 and 11 have each'on its rear end a downwardly turned finger or horn 14 formed in the present instance of a plate bent at a right angle and secured to said tuck in finger by a screw 15 passing through a slot 16 in said'plate to permit adjustment of the horn or finger to and from the box side. These fingers or horns may if desired be rigidly fastened to tuck in fingers or integral therewith. The downwardly turned ends of said horns are in advance of the actuating edges of the fingers 10 and 11 and stand normally in position to engage the rear ends Z) of the fiaps b and b of the cover blank and turn said flaps around the vertical edges a of the box sides when said edge tuck in fingers advance, said rear ends Fbeing preferably turned before the tuck in fingers 10, 11 begin operation on the upwardly extending edges of the flaps b, 6 After the tuck-in fingers 10 and 11 have completed their in ward movement to fold the fiaps Z 5 or simultaneously therewith as desired, the tuck-in finger 12 advances to turn the flap over the edge of the box side 6?.

A-tuck-in finger is not required in the present instance for the fourth side of the box as the hinge flap 1) is not folded but remains in its extended position. A plate 13,however, operated in a manner similar to the tuck-in finger 12 is provided to carry folding fingers 17 on its ends that stand in vertical planes in line with the inner faces of the box sides a and a and project in advance of said plate, their forward projecting ends being bent inwardly or toward each other. These fingers may, if found convenient, be adjustably fastened on the plate 13. After the tuck in fingers 10 and 11 with the horns or fingers 141 have completed the turning operation on the flaps b and b and their ends 6 they arearrested for a predetermined time in their innermost position while the plate 13 with the fingers 17 thereon moves forward, the fingers 17 passing between the downwardly turned ends of the fingers or horns 14: and the sides of the box engage the ends of the flaps that have been folded over the vertical edges a of the box sides and fold them around said edges, and at the same time press them closely against the inner faces of said sides to cause them to adhere thereto. in fingers 10 and 11 remain stationary until the plate 13 with its fingers 17 has entirely withdrawn from the box after which the tuck-in fingers 10, 11 and 12 retreat to permit the ends of the flaps that have been folded over the upper edges of the box sides a, a and (t to be folded into the box and pressed against the inner faces of said sides by a descending plunger in the manner described in' the aforesaid patents.- lifter the plunger withdraws the box top will be The tuckcom )letelv covered and resent the a wearance shown in Fig. 4.

When boxes having two sides or ends that project above the plane of the top edges of the other sides, as in cradle boxes illustrated by D in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, similar tuck-in fingers with downwardly projecting horns are employed to fold the cover blank over the top of and around the vertical edges the upwardly projecting sides or ends of the box. The blank for such boxes is cut to the shape represented in Fig. 5 at C. The flaps c and (2 which serve to cover the ends of said box, are made with lateral projections that are folded around the vertical edges rt of the upstanding ends 0, and end projections '0 which are turned over the top edges J of said box ends. When boxes of this type are covered both ends of the tuck in fingers 10 and 11 are provided with horns 14 to fold the parts 0 of the blank over vertical edges (5' of the ends of the box but I forwardly projecting fingers'17, plates 18 may be substituted with their ends turned upward to form vertical fingers 19, which advance and fold the projections e? of the blank around the edges d of the box ends and press them against the inner sides of said ends, the plates 18 atthe same time turn the upstanding flaps 0 over the low sides (Z of the box so that when the pluner descends to complete the operation these aps and the projections 0 of the flaps 0 will be folded against the inner faces of the box sides.

With a machine such as described, boxes with vertical edges may have covers applied thereto and folded around said edges as neatly and expeditiously as by the previous machines, over their horizontal edges. Boxes of irregular shape may, by this machine, be covered as readily as simple rectangular boxes heretofore. The mechanism is simple, positive in its action and has but few more parts than machines at present in use.

What I claim is 1. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of means carried by one of said tuck in fingers and movable therewith for folding a pro jecting portion of said cover blank across an edge of said box at an angle to its upper edges, and means for folding and aflixing said projecting portion to an inner Wall of the box.

2. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of" a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of means adjustably mounted on one of said tuck in fingers and movable therewith for folding a projecting portion of said cover blank over an edge of said box at an angle to its upper edges, and means for folding and affixing said projecting portion to an inner wall of the box.

3. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of means carried by one of said tuck in fingers and extending in advance of its folding edge and movable with said finger for turning a projecting portion of said cover blank over an edge of said box at an angle to its upper edges, and means for folding and affixing said projecting portion to an inner wall of the box. i

4. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of adjustable means carried by one of said tuck in fingers and extending in advance of the folding edge thereof and movable with said finger for folding a projecting portion of said cover blank over an edge of said box at an angle to its upper edges, and another finger having means for folding and afiixing said projecting portion to an inner wall of the box.

5. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges ofa box, of a finger or horn on an end of oppositely dis- .posed tuck in fingers and movable therewith for folding projecting portions of said cover blank over edges on opposite sides of said box at angles to the upper .edges thereof, and means for folding and aflixing said projecting portions to opposite inner walls of the box.

6. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of a finger or horn on an end of oppositely disposed tuck in fingers and adjustably secured thereto, said fingers or horns extending in advance of the folding edges of their respective tuck in fingers, and adapted to fold projecting portions of said cover blank over edges of said box lying at angles to the upper edges thereof, and another finger-having means at its ends for folding and aflixing the projecting portions of the blank to opposite 1nner walls of the box.

7. Ina box covering machine having edge tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of means carried by one or more of said tuckin fingers and movable therewith for folding a projecting portion of said cover blank over an edge of said box at an angle to its upper edges'and sealing it against the inner face of a side of said box.

' 8. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of means carried by two of said tuck in fingers and movable toward each other for folding projecting portions of said cover blank over edges of said box at angles to the upper edges thereof, and'means on the ends of 1 another tuck in finger or plate movable at a right angle to the first named finger to further fold said projecting portions of the blank around said angular edges of the box and seal them against the inner faces of the box sides.

9. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a cover blank over the upper edges of a box, of angularly arranged fingers or horns on two of said tuck in fingers movable toward .each

other for folding projecting portions of said cover blank over the edges of said box at angles to the top edges thereof, and angularly disposed fingers on another tuck in finger movable at a right" angle to the first named finger for further folding said projecting portions of the blank around said angular edges of the box and seal them against the inner faces of the box sides.

10. In a box covering machine having tuck in fingers for folding the edges of a, cover blank over the uppervedges of a box, of an adjustable finger or horn on an end of each of two of said tuck in fingers extending downwardly and in front of the folding edges of said fingers for folding projecting portions of said cover blank over edges of said box at right angles to its upper edges and another finger having means at its ends for folding and afiixing said projecting portions to opposite inner Walls of the box.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto setmy' hand in presence of two subscribing l Witnesses.

HARRY B. SMITH. Witnesses:

"J. GRANVILLE MYERS,

E. H. BIGKERTON. 

